The present invention relates to a wheeled walker, which can be used as a transport chair, and in particular to a novel braking system for wheeled apparatus.
Many persons, by reason of age or disability have difficulty in walking without a walking aid. Wheeled walkers or rollators are widely used by many such persons to assist in mobility. A wheeled walker typically has a frame mounted on four wheels and a pair of rearwardly extending handlebars, which the user can grip for support while walking. The user positions himself between the handlebars behind the walker, and pushes the walker forward. The wheels permit the user to roll the walker smoothly over the ground, thereby avoiding the laborious action of picking up and moving a non-wheeled walker in step-by-step fashion. The handle bars can be fitted with brake levers that when squeezed by the user, actuate some form of wheel braking mechanism.
Wheeled walkers are routinely equipped with a seating surface that permits the user to rest in the sitting position. The seating surface is usually positioned transversely between the handlebars within the wheelbase of the walker to offer a stable platform for sitting. In order to use the seating surface, the user must turn around and sit down in the rearward facing direction, opposite to the normal direction of travel, with his feet resting on the ground. The braking mechanism can be fitted with a locking mechanism to maintain braking engagement with the wheels to prevent the walker from rolling while the user is sitting.
While the provision of a seat to permit the user to rest is a useful feature, it often occurs that the user is too tired to continue walking and requires the assistance of a caregiver to continue travel. Conventional wheeled walkers are not adapted to support a seated user and be pushed by a caregiver. In particular, because the user is seated in a rearward facing position between the handlebars, there is very little space between the user and the caregiver, making it difficult for the caregiver to take walking steps without interfering with the feet of the user. Moreover, there is no dedicated means on conventional walkers to support the feet of the user while in the sitting position with the result that the feet are usually dragged across the ground or propped up on a frame member in an unnatural position.
There have been a number of attempts to provide a wheeled apparatus that is useful as a self-propelled walker and also as a caregiver propelled transport chair.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,193 discloses a combined wheelchair and walker. In the normal walking position, the seating surface is pivoted up rearwardly toward the seat back to provide space between the handlebars for the user to walk. The user walks in a forward direction pulling the walker behind him. When the user wishes to sit, the seating surface can be flipped down. There is no provision to permit the walker to be pushed by a caregiver. Indeed, the patent discloses that a third party must pull the seated user backwards by pulling on the seat back.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,193 discloses a combination wheelchair and walker. While the user or the caregiver can push the apparatus from behind as a conventional walker or transport chair, in order to assume the seated position, the user must walk around to the front of the apparatus, which manoeuvre can be difficult for a physically challenged person.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,345 discloses a wheeled apparatus for use both as a walker and a wheelchair. The design has rearward facing handlebars to permit the apparatus to be used as a wheeled walker. The design also has a bi-directional seating arrangement. When the seat is placed in the rearward facing position, it permits the person using the device as a walker to rest in a seated position by turning around and sitting down in the rearward facing direction with his feet resting on the ground. When the seat is placed in the forward facing position, the apparatus can be used as a conventional wheelchair. The wheelchair design is conventional in that it has large rear wheels with hand-rings that permit the wheelchair to be propelled by the occupant or rearward facing handles to permit the wheelchair to be pushed by a caregiver.
While the design disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,345 offers significant advantage, it is not well adapted for use as a walker. Because it is based on a conventional wheelchair design, it is heavy and bulky, making it difficult to manoeuvre in confined locations. Furthermore, the bi-directional seating arrangement uses a frame mounted link arrangement, which cannot be practicably adapted to a light walker design. Because the seat back is pivoted to the seat base, the vertical rise of the seat back is limited and accordingly offers only lower back support. Furthermore, when positioned in the walker mode, the seat back obscures the user's view of the ground directly in front of the walker.
Conventional walkers have been equipped with handle bar mounted braking system actuators that permit the user to manually apply braking force when walking or to lock the brakes to permit the user to safely assume a seated position. For example, one such system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,279,180, and relates to a cable braking system. The actuating mechanism uses a connecting lever to pull the cable when the brake lever is raised to a braking position or depressed to a locked position.
Thus, there remains a need for a walking aid that offers all of the functionality of a conventional wheeled walker and can be readily converted for use as a transport chair.
Cable type braking systems are commonly used on walkers, which have height adjustable handlebars. In such a case, the flexible cable accommodates the variable length between the brake handle actuator and the wheel mounted braking element. However, cable type braking mechanisms have a number of deficiencies. In particular, the cables require rather precise and periodic adjustment to maintain effective braking action. Moreover, because the cables are routed from the brake handle actuator to the wheels outside of the frame and require some slack to accommodate height adjustability, the resulting loop or bight in the cable is prone to catching or snagging on other objects, a deficiency which is particularly problematic in the case of a folding style walker that is transported in the trunk of a car.
A simple solution for eliminating the brake cable is to provide a solid rod linkage between the brake-handle actuator and the braking element that extends down through the two telescoping parts of the height-adjustable handle bar. Unfortunately, the solid rod linkage prevents a pin, bolt or screw from passing through both the telescoping parts of the height-adjustable handlebars, which would normally provide a secure, but adjustable means for locking the telescoping parts together. Since safety is the ultimate priority for these types of devices, it is important that the height adjustable handlebars are securely reconnected after adjustment. One solution to this problem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,283,484 issued Sep. 4, 2001 in the name of Malmström, which provides an adjustable brake rod inside the telescoping handlebars. Unfortunately, the Malmström device relies on a single friction screw, which extends through the outer telescoping parts of the handle bars into frictional engagement with the inner telescoping brake rods, to hold the two telescoping parts of the handlebar and the two telescoping parts of the brake rod together. This system relies heavily on the strength of the user, and on the durability of the frictionally engaged materials. Frequent tightening and loosening by elderly or otherwise disabled users make this type of system susceptible to accidental slippage, and therefore unacceptably dangerous.
An object of the present invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art cable and cordless based systems by providing a cordless brake actuating system for a height adjustable handlebar that enables a locking screw, pin or bolt to extend through both parts thereof.